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Despite no contract, Granville still responding to Union Township emergencies for now

Refugee-Canyon Joint Fire District officials discussed a counter-proposal for fire and EMS service compensation and the future of fire and EMS coverage in northern Union Township during a meeting on Thursday, March 5, 2020.(Photo: Michaela Sumner/The Advocate)

A fire department's run cards dictate which equipment and what department should be dispatched to their area and in what order for a variety of calls.

Curtis said although Licking County Prosecutor Bill Hayes and Assistant Prosecutor Carolyn Carnes acknowledged receiving the same email, he has not heard from Mason nor have the run cards been changed.

The request came after Refugee-Canyon and Granville Township failed to come to an agreement regarding compensation for fire and EMS coverage in northern Union Township. An existing contract between the entities for $821 per day expired on Saturday after Refugee-Canyon offered an counter-proposal on what Granville Township Trustees said was their "best and final" offer.

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Last week, Granville Township Trustees extended a "best and final" proposal to Refugee-Canyon, which includes a temporary rate cut to $425 per day, but indicated they wouldn't negotiate further.

During a heated Refugee-Canyon Joint Fire District Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, Curtis brought up an email from Newark Fire Chief Patrick Connor to Refugee-Canyon Board of Trustees President Tony Forshey, which included Curtis and Mason.

Curtis said Refugee-Canyon put a unit from West Licking Fire District, Heath and Newark as a first responder for EMS, adding some of the fire chiefs were unaware of the change.

In a Friday email to Mason, Connor requested Newark be removed from Refugee-Canyon's run cards.

On Monday, Connor told The Advocate he believed Refugee-Canyon had removed Newark as a first responder. Grady later confirmed Newark was removed from Refugee-Canyon's run cards, but said he hasn't heard anything about Granville being removed as well.

According to West Licking Fire District Assistant Chief Joe Krouse, their agency was aware of the change in Refugee-Canyon's run cards and are OK with them. Heath Fire Chief Warren McCord could not be reached for comment.

Over the weekend, Curtis said, Granville was dispatched to northern Union Township a couple times with multiple medics responding to one call. As an example, Curtis said they were dispatched to an unknown emergency on Granview Road, where a medic from Refugee-Canyon and West Licking were also dispatched.

"(It's) an unfortunate use of resources and ultimately, I think that can equal putting the public at risk, and the firefighters and paramedics at risk when you're unnecessarily using resources in that manner," Curtis said.

Curtis said Granville Township is still talking with their legal counsel to see what they need to do.

In the meantime, Curtis said he has directed his staff to respond to any emergency they're dispatched to, "regardless of if they feel there's too many trucks on it."

Tension between Granville Township and Union Township has been ongoing for over a year, but came to a head in November, when Union Township Trustees approved the formation of a fire district with Hebron. Granville Township and Refugee-Canyon have been in contract negotiations for weeks and a 30-day extension of the latest contract expired at midnight on Saturday.